The Hills Are Alive

Though the season for bonfires is over, the smell still hangs in the air. If you’ve been outside in the early morning hours recently you might have noticed the smell of burning wood. You might be surprised to know that the smell is drifting from miles away in the mountains of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway. For the first time in many years, North Carolina is battling wildfires that have gone seemingly unnoticed.There are 10 wildfires raging through the southern state since November 10. The fires are being contained at about 83 percent according to the USDA Forest Services. Currently there are over 2,000 personnel working to stop the fire that continues to spread throughout the northwestern Carolina region. The fires have touched over 73,000 acres so far.The fires have been reported as being caused by humans. Experts are hoping for cooler weather and more rain to help combat the fires which have started to spread into the Gatlinburg areas. Firefighters from North Carolina and other surrounding states are jumping in to support local Tennessee residents fight the fires.So far no one has been killed in the fires probably most thankful to the countless evacuations and preparations by the firefighters and Forest Services. Evacuations have displaced more than 14,000 residents of the Gatlinburg area so far, along with hundreds of visitors to areas like Pidgeon Forge.Damages done by wildfires can cost governments upwards of millions of dollars. As of November 26, North Carolina wild fires have caused more than $27.7 million in damages. With the colder weather approaching and rain in the forecast, experts are hoping the fires will die out. But no one can control Mother Nature’s fierce winds, which have been a big factor in the spreading of the fires.